ENGLISH L6 unseen

Acrostic

A poem where the first letter of each line spells out a word or message.

Ballad

A narrative poem (tells a story) usually written in four-line stanzas with a clear rhyme scheme.

Iambic pentameter

Iambic pentameter features lines of ten syllables arranged in five "iambs" - an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable (da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM da-DUM)

Blank Verse

Poetry written in unrhymed iambic pentameter.

Elegy

A serious, typically sad poem, usually a lament for the dead.

Epic

A long, narrative poem detailing heroic deeds and grand events.

Free Verse

Poetry that does not follow a fixed rhyme, rhythm, or meter.

Ode

A formal, often long lyric poem addressed to a particular subject.

Sonnet

A 14-line poem with a specific rhyme scheme and meter (usually iambic pentameter).

Villanelle

A 19-line poem with two repeating rhymes and two refrains.

Meter

The basic rhythmic structure of a line.

Foot

A unit of meter consisting of stressed and unstressed syllables.

Iamb

A foot with one unstressed followed by one stressed syllable (da-DUM).

Trochee

A foot with one stressed followed by one unstressed syllable (DUM-da).

Dactyl

One stressed followed by two unstressed (DUM-da-da).

Anapest

Two unstressed followed by one stressed (da-da-DUM).

Spondee

Two stressed syllables (DUM-DUM).

Pentameter

A line containing five "feet."

Alliteration

Repetition of consonant sounds at the start of words (e.g., Silver snake slithered).

Assonance

Repetition of vowel sounds within words (e.g., Fleet feet sweep by).

Consonance

Repetition of consonant sounds within or at the end of words (e.g., Blank and think).

Onomatopoeia

Words that sound like what they mean (e.g., Bang, Sizzle).

End Rhyme

Words at the end of lines rhyme.

Internal Rhyme

Rhyming words within a single line.

Slant/Half Rhyme

Words that almost rhyme but not quite (e.g., Bridge and Grudge).

Metaphor

A direct comparison between two unlike things (e.g., "The sun is a golden coin").

Simile

A comparison using "like" or "as" (e.g., "Quiet as a mouse").

Personification

Giving human qualities to non-human things.

Hyperbole

Intentional exaggeration for effect.

Imagery

Vivid descriptive language that appeals to the five senses.

Symbolism

When an object or action represents a deeper, abstract idea.

Cyclical Structure

When the end of a poem returns to the ideas or imagery presented in the first stanza, often suggesting a sense of inevitability or lack of progress.

Volta

A significant "turn" or shift in the line of thought, tone, or mood. While traditional in sonnets, it can be applied to any poem where a realization occurs.

Chiasmus

A rhetorical device where words or concepts are repeated in reverse order (e.g., "Pleasure's a sin, and sometimes sin's a pleasure").

In Medias Res

A poem that begins "in the middle of things" without prior explanation, immediately immersing the reader in an event.

Prolepsis

A "flash-forward" where a future plot point or outcome is referenced earlier than it occurs chronologically.

Analepsis

sliterary and narratological term for a flashback

Sibilance

A specific type of alliteration using soft "s," "sh," or "ch" sounds to create a hissing, soothing, or sinister effect.s

Plosive

Harsh, blunt sounds created by stopping airflow using letters like b, p, t, d, k, and g. These often create a sense of aggression or shock.

Conceit

An extended, often elaborate or far-fetched metaphor that compares two highly dissimilar things (common in Metaphysical poetry).

Anthropomorphism

Often confused with personification; this is where an animal or object is actually given human form, behavior, or personality traits rather than just human "qualities".

Pathetic Fallacy

The specific attribution of human emotions to nature, typically the weather, to reflect the internal state of a character.

Metonymy

Replacing the name of a thing with the name of something else with which it is closely associated (e.g., "The Crown" to represent the monarchy).

Synecdoche

A figure of speech where a part is used to represent the whole (e.g., "all hands-on deck," where "hands" represents the sailors).

Paradox

A statement that appears contradictory or impossible on the surface but reveals a deeper truth upon closer inspection

Cacophony

The use of harsh, discordant, and unmelodious sounds to create a jarring effect.

Euphony

The use of words and phrases that are distinguished as having a wide range of noteworthy melody or loveliness in the sounds they create.

Anaphora

The intentional repetition of a word or phrase at the beginning of successive lines or clauses to build momentum or emphasize a point.

Asyndeton

The omission of conjunctions between parts of a sentence to create a fast-paced, breathless, or overwhelming list.

Polysyndeton

The use of multiple conjunctions in close succession, often slowing down the rhythm to emphasize the scale or weight of each item.

Fricative

Sounds created by forcing air through a narrow channel at the place of articulation (using letters like f and v), often creating a breathy or airy effect.

Liquid Consonants

The use of "l" and "r" sounds which can create a sense of fluid, flowing, or continuous movement within a line.

Allusion

An unexplained reference to someone or something outside of the text. Writers commonly refer to other literary works, famous individuals, historical events, or philosophical ideas.

Analogy

A comparison that aims to explain a thing or idea by likening it to something else

Antagonist

Usually a character who opposes the protagonist (or main character) of a story, but can also be a group of characters, institution, or force against which the protagonist must contend

Antithesis

A figure of speech that juxtaposes two contrasting or opposing ideas, usually within parallel grammatical structures.

Narrative Voice

Who is speaking? First or third person? Is the narrator reliable?

Atmosphere/Setting

Note sensory details (sight, sound, smell, touch) and emotional tone.

Imagery & Language

Identify metaphors, similes, personification, and lexical fields (e.g., a semantic field of decay).

Layout/Structure

Note sentence length (short for tension, long for description) and paragraph breaks.

Significance

Link every annotation back to the question.

Exposition

The description or explanation of background information within a work of literature. Can cover characters and their relationship to one another, the setting or time and place of events, as well as any relevant ideas, details, or historical context.

External conflict

A problem, antagonism, or struggle that takes place between a character and an outside force. Drives the action of a plot forward.

Falling action

The section of the plot following climax, in which the tension stemming from the story's central conflict decreases and the story moves toward its conclusion

Figurative language

Language that uses words in ways that deviate from their literal interpretation to achieve a more complex or powerful effect

Foreshadowing

A literary device in which authors hint at plot developments that don't actually occur until later in the story

Hamartia

A literary term that refers to a tragic flaw or error that leads to a character's downfall

Hubris

Excessive pride or overconfidence, which drives a person to overstep limits in a way that leads to their downfall

Bildungsroman

A genre of novel that shows a young protagonist's journey from childhood to adulthood (or immaturity to maturity), with a focus on the trials and misfortunes that affect the character's growth.

Catharsis

The process of releasing strong or pent-up emotions through art

Characterization

The representation of the traits, motives, and psychology of a character in a narrative. May occur through direct description, in which the character's qualities are described by a narrator, another character, or by the character him or herself.

Cliché

A phrase that, due to overuse, is seen as lacking in substance or originality

Climax

The story's central turning point—the moment of peak tension or conflict—which all the preceding plot developments have been leading up to.

Dialogue

The exchange of spoken words between two or more characters in a book, play, or other written work

Diction

A writer's unique style of expression, especially his or her choice and arrangement of words

Dramatic irony

A plot device often used in theatre, literature, film, and television to highlight the difference between a character's understanding of a given situation, and that of the audience

Dénouement

He final section of story's plot, in which loose ends are tied up, lingering questions are answered, and a sense of resolution is achieved

Irony

A literary device or event in which how things seem to be is in fact very different from how they actually are.

Juxtaposition

When an author places two things side by side as a way of highlighting their differences

Litotes

A figure of speech and a form of understatement in which a sentiment is expressed ironically by negating its contrary.

Oxymoron

In which two contradictory terms or ideas are intentionally paired in order to make a point—particularly to reveal a deeper or hidden truth.

Polyptoton

Is a figure of speech that involves the repetition of words derived from the same root (such as "blood" and "bleed")

Protagonist

Is its main character, who has the sympathy and support of the audience. This character tends to be involved in or affected by most of the choices or conflicts that arise in the narrative.

Rhetorical question

Question is asked for a reason other than to get an answer—most commonly, it's asked to make a persuasive point

Rising action

Of a story is the section of the plot leading up to the climax, in which the tension stemming from the story's central conflict grows through successive plot developments.

Tone

Term used to describe the general character or attitude of a piece of writing, which might be cheerful or depressive, sarcastic or sincere, comical or mournful, praising or critical, and so on

Tragic hero

Is a type of character in a tragedy, and is usually the protagonists. Typically have heroic traits that earn them the sympathy of the audience, but also have flaws or make mistakes that ultimately lead to their own downfall.

Chiasmus

A rhetorical device where words or concepts are repeated in reverse order (e.g., "Pleasure's a sin, and sometimes sin's a pleasure").

In Medias Res

A poem that begins "in the middle of things" without prior explanation, immediately immersing the reader in an event.

Prolepsis

A "flash-forward" where a future plot point or outcome is referenced earlier than it occurs chronologically.

Analepsis

sliterary and narratological term for a flashback

Sibilance

A specific type of alliteration using soft "s," "sh," or "ch" sounds to create a hissing, soothing, or sinister effect.s

Plosive

Harsh, blunt sounds created by stopping airflow using letters like b, p, t, d, k, and g. These often create a sense of aggression or shock.

Alliteration

Repetition of consonant sounds at the start of words (e.g., Silver snake slithered).

Assonance

Repetition of vowel sounds within words (e.g., Fleet feet sweep by).

Consonance

Repetition of consonant sounds within or at the end of words (e.g., Blank and think).

Onomatopoeia

Words that sound like what they mean (e.g., Bang, Sizzle).

Conceit

An extended, often elaborate or far-fetched metaphor that compares two highly dissimilar things (common in Metaphysical poetry).

Anthropomorphism

Often confused with personification; this is where an animal or object is actually given human form, behavior, or personality traits rather than just human "qualities".

Pathetic Fallacy

The specific attribution of human emotions to nature, typically the weather, to reflect the internal state of a character.